In Washington, DC, this week, landowners who are concerned they are being forced to place a dangerous pipeline under their land are visiting with their representatives in Congress and officials in the Obama administration. Among them are Eleanor Fairchild and David Daniel of Winnsboro, Texas, who tell their heartfelt stories below.

TransCanada is the company trying to run the dirty fuel into the U.S. along a 2000 mile proposed pipeline almost certain to leak. The fuel is awful for the environment, emitting three times the carbon emissions of conventional oil and gas. President Obama is ultimately responsible for approving the proposed pipeline. It’s also expensive, and would actually drive up energy prices in the Midwest according to TransCanada’s own study.

Widespread media reports say the company has attempted to strong-arm residents into putting a risky pipeline on their property. Having witnessed a series of high profile pipeline incidents around the country recently, local landowners and citizen groups are concerned the pipeline will eventually leak, spill or explode in sensitive areas like the Nebraksa’s Sandhills, Platte River and Ogallala Aquifer.

Landowners have been sounding off on a toll-free tip line, and a website that urges landowners, concerned citizens and TransCanada employees to confidentially report abusive and questionable acts. To learn more, or report abuse visit www.TransCanadaAbuse.com.

If you’re not a landowner near the pipeline, you can still speak out by taking action here.

Here’s David Daniel, a Texas landowner on the trespass and abuse he’s confronted from Transcanada. “I feel like a lab rat on my own property,” he says.

Also from Texas, Eleanor Fairchild said TransCanada showed little interest in protecting Texas’s water, and that TransCanada was “pushy” when she asked about protecting her trees and grass.